Volunteer Befriender - Children and Young people

What do we do:

We provide specialist support that empowers young people to make positive changes and rediscover their hope. They want a future they can look forward to and we’re here to make sure they get it. Working alongside young people, their families and community, we will not rest until together, step-by-step, we've created a society built for all children

What are we looking for?

We are looking for new volunteers to match with young people who would like an Independent Visitor. This is a great role for someone of any age (over 18) who
enjoys spending time with children and young people and can commit to two years of volunteering. Bradford SCARPA stands for Safeguarding Children At
Risk - Prevention and Action, reflecting our integrated approach. The IV service is part of a team that helps young people to make better choices and develop resilience, as well as signposting to more intensive support if they need it.

You don’t need any special qualifications. We are looking for reliable and dependable people from all walks of life. We will provide training and ongoing support and expenses will be paid.

Formal qualifications are not required as full training will be provided.
To be effective in this role, we ask that you are:

• Honest and trustworthy
• A good listener
• Responsive, understanding, and patient, - the young people we support can experience frequent changes and will have ups and downs
• Friendly, approachable, and at ease in engaging with young people
• Reliable and dedicated in your role - the young people we support may have been let down by Others
• Open minded, non-judgemental, and respectful of the backgrounds and circumstances of others.

What would you be doing? 

An Independent Visitor (IV) is a volunteer who provides key regular contact to a child or young person who is cared for by the local authority. The Independent Visitor’s role is to take a child or young person whom they have been matched without to do activities 

As an Independent Visitor volunteer, you will:

• Have fun taking young people on outings and maybe share a hobby, sport or interest
• Offer support and a listening ear and be a positive influence in a young person’s life and help build self-esteem and confidence

To be effective in this role, you will need to be available once per month for approximately 2-4 hours, for a minimum of 2 years.
 

The key activities of the role will include:

• To befriend a child/young person, establishing a relationship of trust and support.
• To visit the child/young person on a monthly basis, making suitable arrangements with their carer and being reliable in keeping those arrangements.
• To remain independent of the local authority and to promote the child/young person’s developmental, social, emotional, religious and cultural needs.
• To undertake activities agreed with the child/young person which are suitable for his/her age, aptitude and ability.
• To be available to undertake training and supervision on an agreed basis. 
• To report to the service coordinator any concerns about the child’s/young person’s welfare.

We deliver a positive impact for young people through our policy and campaigning work. We run over 50 services across the UK to help children and young people ...and over
8,000 amazing volunteers help to make this possible

What our young people and volunteers say: 

“Before I felt nervous, shy and anxious. Now thanks to my volunteer I have a lot more confidence”  – Young Person

“I don’t think you could ever find a better person than my volunteer” – Young Person

“I volunteered to enrich someone else’s life, I didn’t realise how much my life would be enriched”  – Volunteer

“It’s great to be a part of a young person growing and developing as an adult”  –  Volunteer

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion:

The Children’s Society will treat all potential and recruited volunteers fairly and with respect. We will not discriminate on the basis of disability, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or faith, or gender reassignment. We will not discriminate on the basis of age, unless the responsibilities of a role require us to do so in order to safeguard our volunteers and/or service users.

What we can offer you

• A full induction into your role and introduction to The Children’s Society
• On-going support and guidance from your volunteer manager, including one-to-one supervision
• All necessary training for your role - you will also have access to a broad range of online learning modules and courses
• Recognition of your commitment and achievements
• A reference once you have been involved with us for a period of time
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses as agreed with your volunteer manager
• The opportunity to be part of an innovative project within a national charity, gaining an understanding of the issues facing vulnerable young people and making a positive difference in their lives
• A free and confidential telephone counselling service is available to all staff and volunteers